Combined plug-switch and fuse.



55,16 surroiuided by a lip li' and for the closure nl iran FREDERCK J. RVLN, 03F CHCGG, ILLINOIS.

peciicaton of Iiettersatent.

Application filed January 26, 19M. Serial -o. 814,321,

i'h all who/a 'it may concern:

Be it lniown that l, Fiinnnnicit d'. Rimini, a. citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cool; and State *of illinois, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Combined Plugfiaitches and Fuses, of which the following is a specification.

lily intention has for one of its objects to provide a combined plug switch and iuse especialljyf adapted 'for heavy service, in which the electrical appliances employed are adequately protected against the weather, and are suitable for installation in railway yards, and other places Where the appliances are subject to rough usage and adverse weather conditions, without danger oiC breakage, deterioration of its mechanical parts, or injury to itselectrical connections.

Further niy invention has for its object to provide a construction, suitable for general use where such electrical appliances are needed, which is simple, cheap, easily inanuactured, readily installed, andl durable and eilicient in operation.

In the drawings wherein i have illustrated a connnercial embodiment of niy invention Figure l is a front view, with parts broken away t0 show the internal construction of the appliance; Fig. 2 is a vertical section on line 2 2 or Fig. l with the plug omitted; Fig. 3 is a cross section on line 3**3 of Jig. l; Fig. 4 is an end view ol' the easing; and 5 is an enlarged detail with parts broken away ot' an hisulating` block and contact.

or rectangular :torni in plan, provided at its' corners with posts 13 against the bottoms of which the baclr plate 1l bears, said posts receiving screws 14: which extend through the corners oi' the base plate so that when the parts are assembled the outer or haelt Wall or" the hase plate lies flush with the edgges ot' the housing as shonn in Fig. il. The housing has in appropriate positions thereon lateral ears li for the reception ot screws or bolts l5 to attach the structure to a suitable support, generally a vertical n'all.

The iront Wall 'of the housing` l2 has formed in its upper portion a large openingl of this opening l provide a closure plate 18 constructed to iit neatly within the lip or rii'n l?, the plate being hinged as at i9, he yond the plane of the rim l?, to suitable ears on the liront Wall, and hein@ provided with a linger piece 2O so that it may readily he swungto open or closed position. T l louter portion of the front wail is inclined. away from the back plate as shown at il, said inclined Wall 2l meeting, preferably at right angles, the bottoni n'all Q2 in which is formed an opening extending,` clear to the edge of ythe housing, and at its top preil'erahly 'formed ina rentrant angle, at Q3.

rlie bach plate 'il has a sill or har 2i thereon entering the opening said sill bcing preferably of 'the saine depth as the added depth of the casing-end due to the inclination of wall. 2l, and the sill haring thereona lip 25 at its iront edge, coacting with the bottom Wall in deiining .the bottoni orilice.

.l/Vithin the casing the bacleplate l1 has a shallouv projecting transcrse rib in position substantially alining with the upper end of front ualliportion 2l, to act as an abutnient for the contact base, and paralleling its sides said bacl; plate carries tiro wings 27 constituting lateral abutinents itor the contact base.

The insulating base, 80, which carries the switch contacts, inade in two duplicate blocks 3l, meeting in a central longitudinal plane vertical to the back nali.

2lointly the hloclis 3l provide an endopening recess 32, siinilar in shape to the casing` orifice, the recess beingl surrouinled, at its mouth, by a lip 3l which projects through the. opening oi the casing. liz;- teriorly the base fits neatly between the 'wall 3l on the tront, and the sill "-.l and hase. plate 1l at the hackr` resting in inclined position parallelingj thc front wall "2l, with its lower end abutting against the bottoni n'all 22 and lip 25, and its upper end stopped against abutment rih 2G.

The lateral sidewalls of the base-sections carry spring-lentI contacts, with connections runninpl therefrom to the exterior ot the blocks. llach lateral side wall is grom'ed as at 36 troni its upper end nearly to its lower end, and the inner face of cach said wall has a recess 3i' near its lower end. lilach spring contact-leaf 39 has its e doubled hach as at l0, and the end ill i in the recess 3T, is anchored by a nut a screw l2 passing through the uall and apart somewhat 'farther than the width.. ol

the base` and that insulating strips Llli, of

fiber or the like, long enough to overlie the.

plate i3 he Jforced between the 'wings andI the' sides ot the base',binding the sections oi the latter against lateral separation.

The ooacting plug 50, preferably made of wood. bakelite, or the like, has a tubular handle il, and a blade 52, with one angular face, shaped to interlit in the recess of the base. (hie wall olt the base recess is 'angled to coactwith ae angular face ol the plug so that theA blade iiill go into the hase recess only in one position, and the polarity ot' the external connections cannot be re-v versed accidentally. rlfhe blade carrieson its sides contact plates 53, connected with suitable wiring leading through the hollow handle. i

l-Vitliin the upper portion of the casing I provide a fuse structure. The insulating base (il) therefor is mounted on a liber sheet 61 and Secured' to the back wall 1l by screws 62. The fuse plug terminals 63 are secured in pairs to the base 6l), and carry the fuses 64, located under the opening 16. The binding posts of the 'fuse terminals are connectediespectively with wires 45, leading to the switch contacts, and with Wires 45 leading through a hushed aperture 65 to the exterior of the structure for connection with the mains. y

It will be observed that in use the plug 4is presented to the socket at an angle to the back-wall of the receptacle, so that `While the receptacle is shallow, as adapted to beV applied to a vertical Wall or post, and hasl its orifice at the bottom, protected from the elements, the plug mayA easily be inserted without bringing the hand ot' the operator into Contact with the supporting Wall. AThe Aconstruction permits easy assemblage of thel Contact springs and wiring connections with the halves of the socket base, and the halfsectirns are easily assembled on the back plate and connected to the fuse members before the casing sections are secured together, and when the assemblage is completed the socket sections are lirrnly positioned againstv displacement in any direc.- tion. The fuse structure is positioned for advantageous connection with the socket,is separately detachable, is accessible JFor renewal of fuses, and has its incasing p0r-4 tion adequately Weather pioofecl by the fitting, gravity-closed cover plate uliiclif;A

mav however be instantly opened.

lblle l have herein describedin some dei tail an embodiment ofniy invention. it will' be apparent to-those skilled in the art that invention and within the scope of the appeiided claims.

What l claim is:-

1. In a structure of the character described, a receptacle easing haring a back plate and a front wall with its loner portion inclined outwardly 'troni the liar-l; plate, there being an opening in the upper portion of front Wall, and an opening i'iithe bottom of the casing, a closure for the `l'ront opening, a fuse structure .i'itl'iin the c accessible through tbc-front opening, and

a, socket in the lower portion accessible through said bottoni opening, said socket disposed in parallelism to the angular poiA tion of the casing wall', and said socket and fuse `member electrically connected Within the casing.

In a structure of the character described, the combination of a. casing coinprising a back plate, a shallow front heus ing intcriitting ltherewith and attached thereto, said housing having its front wall outwardly inclined' at its lower portion and having a bottoni oriiice,and a front orifice Iaboie the inclined portion, a lgravity closing cover for the front orifice', a' sill on the back plate, at its lowerend, a pi'oJection on the back plate betweengits ends, 'a socket structure fitting betnjeeriI the back plate and housing, resting in inclined position on said sill and abutting against' said projection, said lsocket having its opening registering with the'bottom opening of the casing, and a fuse structure, electrically connected with saidsocket positioned in the easing above said projection for access through the .front opening. l

3. vIn a device of the character described, theieoinbination of a baclcplate having lon gitudinal wings, a bottoni sill and. a transverse rib, affront housing having a iront wall outwardly inclined toward its bottom and haring a bottom- Wall with :in orifice therein, a two piece insulating base divided longitudinally in a vertical. plane, positioned bythe sill, rib and front walhnto lic at an inclination to the back-plate, said insulating base haring a socket therein opening to the bottom orilicc, and filler members between the base and the longitudinal wings, positioning said base-sections against lateral separation.

ail-ln a structure, of the cliaracter described, the combination of a receptacle having its front" pd rear l"walls parallel throughout theiiflu'pper portions, and dvergent toward their bottoni, said receptacle fuse members thereon accessible throiurh the front orifice, a closure for said oi'liice, a

plug-socket within said receptacle opening to the bottoni orilicc and paralleling the inclined front 1wall-portion, said plug socket being,l positioned entirely below the front oriiice and electrical connections between said socket and the use members.

In la structure of the character described, the combination of a receptacle having, an upper and a lower chamber, the lower chaniber being closed at its front face, a front oriiice in the upperl chamber and a bottoni orifice in the lower chamber, aclosure for said 'front oritice, a fuse structure within the upper chamber opposite the liront opening, and a plug socket in the lower chamber electrically connected to said iuse structure, opening to the bottoni orifice.

6. In u. device of the character described, the combination of a back plate haring longitudinal wings, n bottoni sill and a trains- 'verse rib, a. front housing having a bottoni wall with an oriiice therein, a two piece insulntingbase divided longitudinally in a -vertical plane, positioned by the sill, rib and front wall, said insulating base having a socket therein opening to the bottoni oritice, Land filler inenibers between the base and the longitudinal wings, positioning said bese against lateral separation,

i". In a device of the character described,

the combination of e baci; plete having longitudinal wings, e, bottom sill. and e transverse rib, a front housing having a front wall outwardly inclined toward its bottom and having a bottoni wall 'with en orifice therein, and e two piece insulating base divided longitudinally in a vertical plane, positioned by the sill, rib and front wall, to lie :it an inclination to the back plate, said insulating base having a socket therein ogenF ing to the bottoni orifice.

8. In a device of the character described, the combination of :i back plate having lon gitudinal wiiigs, a bottoni sill and n transverse rib, a front housing having a front wall outwardly inclined toward its bottoni and Ihaving a bottoni wall with fin oriiice therein, an insulating` base positioned by the sill, rib and front well, to lie at :in inclination to the back plate, said insulating base having a socket therein opening to the bottom oriice, and iiller nienilfiers between the base and the longitudinal. wings, positioningl said base againstlzzternl movement.

n testimony whereof l hereun'o set my' f hand in the presence of two witnesses.

FREF'ERCK RATTLN. in the presence ow Fernie BAIN, 'MARY l?. ALLEN. 

